Duck-call.



UNITED STATES Patented October 27, 15308.

PATENT EEIcE.

DUCK-CALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,680, dated October 27, 1903. Application filed June 16,1908. SerialNo.161,'753. (No model.)

To alt wlwm. it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST R. KUHLE- MEIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Duck-Calls; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in sounding devices, and particularly to such as are adapted for use as duck-calls.

The object in view'is the provision of a sounding device which shall retain its tone regardless of age or climatic conditions, such tone remaining permanently the same.

A further object is the prevention of the parts from becoming defective by corrosion or oxidization.

These objects are accomplished by the provision of a tube, a beveled bored plug within the same, a non-corrosive reed carried by said plug and extending over the bevel thereof.

The invention also consists in certain other novel constructions, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal horizontal central section taken through a device embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 represents a detail side elevation of the beveled plug thereof detached and illustrating the reed and retaining-stopper in position. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal vertical central section through the elements disclosed in Fig. 1. Fig. at represents a perspective View of a duplicate device.

In the present art it is common to form duck-calls with straight flat bored plugs and reed, which is bent for admitting air beneath the same to the bore of the plug. \Vith this common construction the reed is liable to be bent to a greater or less degree or straightened more or less by its rapid vibrations under the action of an air-blast,whereby the tone is liable to be altered, the parts being thus easily deranged, and the reed, usually being formed of metal, is open to the further serious objection-the liability of corrosion.

jection 4:

Of course it will be obvious that any alteration in the tone of an instrument designed for use in calling ducks is seriously objectionable, and I overcome the difficulty suggested by the provision of the elements disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which the numeral 1 indicates a tube, into one end of which is reinovably introduced a plug 2, having its forward end tapered or beveled throughout the greater portion of its length, as will be observed particularly by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. This taper of the plug 2 facilitates its introduction into the tube and its retention therein by frictional contact with the interior wallsof said tube. The plug 2 is bored longitudinally, as at 8, and is shouldered and cut away for the greater portion of its length, leaving a prosubstantially semicircular in crosssection and formed with a central groove 5, communicating with and continuous of the passage 3, said groove 5 preferably terminating at a shoulder 6, the end of the projection t being beveled at 7 beneath the free end of a reed S, mounted upon and lying longitudinally centrally of the projection d.

The reed 8 is formed of gutta-percha, hard rubber, or other non-corrosive material and has its rear end pressed against the shoulder 9 of the plug 2, a locking-stopper 10 being mounted upon the rear end of said reed 8 for retaining the same in position, said stopper 1O fitting snugly against the shoulder 9 and being of semicircular transverse section, so as to fit snugly within the tube 2. The stopper 10 is preferably made of cork or other suitable compressible material,whereby when the plug 2, with the parts positioned thereon, is introduced into the tube 1 the said stopper 10 will press down upon the rear end of the reed 8 and retain the same in position. The end of the plug 2, beveled as at 7, may be given any desired shapethat is, beveled at any degree preferred or rounded off for producing any required pitch or tone, the reedS being controlled in its vibration by the shape of the said bevel 7, such bevel controlling the amount of the initial blast entering the groove 5. By the provision of the projection a with its beveled forward end the reed 8 may be made straight and flat. This straight flat gutta-percha reed, as will be obvious, will and resting upon said edges for substantially its entirelength for mulliing orlimiting the vibrations thereof, by preventing the reed moving" in its vibrations below the horizontalplane of said edges, for producing a sound simulating the call of a duck, the end of the said projection being abruptly cut away for affording communication between the groove and tube beneath the free end of said reed, and means for retaining the reed in position upon the said projection.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

AUGUST R. KUHLEMEIER. Witnesses:

J NO. J. SEERLEY, MARY FAWCETT. 

